A Do Over
by kclynne
Summary: Chad and Abby never properly brought Thomas home from the hospital together as a family.
A Do-Over

Chad DiMera took a deep breath as he knocked on the door in front of him. He was actually nervous. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so jittery about a girl. "She's not just any girl." He had to remind himself. She was the love of his life, the other half to his soul. No one understood him like she did and vice versa. He was so in tuned with Abigail Deveraux he could sense her mood with just a simple look.

It was ultimately what pulled him back to her. No power on Earth could ever be stronger than their love. They had proof of that now. With Chad breaking through Andre's ridiculous brain-washing attempt to get him to seduce Belle Brady, there was nothing he was sure of more than his love for Abby and Thomas.

As he stood outside in the cold of night, he rubbed his hands together, blowing into them to keep them warm. Thankfully he didn't have to wait long before the door was opened. He was greeted with someone he wasn't expecting; JJ.

JJ stood in the doorway, blocking the entrance from Chad. The look on his face, Chad knew he wasn't pleased to see him.

"What the hell do you want?" JJ barked, clearly trying to do his little brother protector mode.

"I came here to see Abby." Chad remarked honestly.

"What if she doesn't want to see you?" JJ challenged the DiMera. JJ hadn't had many dealings with the dastardly family but he was aware of their capabilities for ruining everyone's lives. Both Chad and EJ had done a number on Abby in the past.

"JJ." Abby chimed in as she came down the steps holding Thomas in her arms.

Chad's face lit up as he watched the woman he loved hold their son. The little man that was just as precious to him as he was to the entire Horton family, if not more so. Ever since Grace, Chad had felt like there was a piece of him missing. The loss of his daughter was something that he would never truly get over. He had come to accept it, for the most part, but, there had been many days when he watched Arianna for Will and Sonny, that he missed and ached to have known his little girl. With one look at Thomas, knowing that he was his son, Chad's heart had been taken.

JJ backed down and let Chad inside. Abby smiled as she saw the man that she loved enter her house. "What are you doing here?" She sounded surprised.

Chad smiled suspiciously his blue eyes dazzling hers. "I came here to take you out for a surprise."

Abby tried her best to conceal her excitement. "Let me just ask my mom to watch Tom…"

Chad cut her off before she could continue. "He needs to come with us."

"Oh. Well, then let me just get him bundled up and we will be right with you." Abby smiled as she went into the living room to gather Thomas' things. The flush of butterflies roared through her stomach at the prospect of what Chad had in store for them. Where could they be going? She wondered.

Chad stood in the Horton house under heavily watched eyes. JJ hadn't taken his eyes off of Chad for one second the entire time he'd been there. The two men never really had gotten along, even before the whole 'brain tumor' incident. To Chad that had seemed like a lifetime ago, it was almost like he had been a completely different person.

"You were a different person. You were an asshole." He thought to himself.

"You know JJ, if you stare at me any harder, I might think that you like me." Chad quipped to break the tension in the room, a playful smirk dancing upon his lips.

"Joke all you want DiMera, but I swear to God, if you hurt my sister in any way, I will be the next one to put you in a coma." JJ threatened. With a sneer JJ stormed out.

"Always a pleasure, JJ." Chad muttered to himself, as Abby's little brother left the room.

Abigail emerged from the living room with Thomas dressed head to toe in a blue. If anyone had any questions about what sex the child was, they would have been blind. "Is he ready?" Chad asked.

Abby nodded letting Chad lead the way. A devious smile spread across his face as he placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her outside. Chad had already taken the opportunity to get a car seat and get his ride baby savvy.

"You really didn't have to do this." Abby commented as she buckled Thomas into his seat, making sure the straps were tight but not crushing their little miracle baby.

Chad begged to differ. "Abby… I do. You and Thomas are my family. Of course I have to do this."

Abby didn't argue any further. She knew better than to fight with Chad about something so small and unimportant. She let it go.

"Where are we going?" She asked trying to hide her giddiness.

"You shall see soon my love." He replied as they both go into his car and buckled up. With a quick kiss before he started the engine, Chad couldn't help but gaze upon the woman next to him. She was his everything. She was the light at the end of the tunnel. She was his future; both she and Thomas. Nothing and no one was going to take that away from him again. He'd make damn sure of it. But for now, they had somewhere to be.

Chad pulled up to the entrance of University Hospital. A confused quizzical looking was upon his lady's beautiful face. She clearly had no idea what he was planning. He smiled devilishly and took her hand. "Come on, let's get Thomas."

"Chad… What are we doing here?" The tone in her voice was worrisome.

Chad quickly squashed her fears. "Don't worry. Trust me, okay?"

The sparkling baby blues of Chad DiMera's eyes settled the uneasiness in her stomach. His smile warmed her heart and she realized she did. She trusted him. It was a feeling that she hadn't felt in a long time with him, and it felt right.

With a gentle ease she unbuckled Thomas from his car seat and wrapped him in his bear blanket that Chad had gotten her during her pregnancy. When he had learned she was pregnant, he wanted to be as supportive of her and her baby as he could. Despite his own feelings about her staying with Ben, he only wanted what she believed made her happy. If that truly had been Ben, then so be it. As a result he had gone into the local children's store in the Town Square and had picked her up a few things. A blanket, some toys, a few books he thought she might like.

"Thomas just loves this blanket." She gushed.

"Who gave it to him?" Chad wondered, knowing the truth.

"You know, I don't know. It just happened to be in a bag at my baby shower. No note, no card and no one claimed it."

Chad smiled. She had no idea and he wanted to keep it that way. It would only be one more thing that had upset her at the time. "Must have been someone looking out for you. A good Samaritan."

Abby shut rubbed Thomas' back to sooth him. "Whoever they were, I am eternally grateful."

Placing his hand on the small of her back, Chad lead his family inside the Hospital doors. "Okay, what are we doing here Chad?"

"I realized the other night that we, as a family, never properly brought our son home from the hospital. With Andre's mind games and Thomas getting sick, we never had our family moment. Thomas deserves that. We deserve that. So, Abby, I am here to take my beautiful lady and our son home."

Abby's heart almost burst at how thoughtful this whole scenario was. She had missed the fact that Chad didn't bring Thomas home with her after he'd been found in the hotel room. She wasn't angry at him for it, because it wasn't his fault. It was just something that she had accepted. But now…

"Mr. DiMera. Take us home." Her brown eyes danced over his face.

"Ms. Deveraux, I thought you would never ask." He kissed her forehead and led her back to his car. What Abby didn't know was that he had another surprise waiting for her when they got back to the DiMera mansion.

Chad buckled his little man back in his seat and placed the blanket over his lap. He kissed Thomas' head and whispered "I love you" just loud enough for it to be only between them.

"I have one more surprise for you."

She couldn't wait to find out what it was.

When they arrived at the DiMera mansion, he could see the complete look of terror on her face. He simply took her hand in his and kissed the top of it with a calm love permitting from him. "Just trust me."

Abby tried to let the tension and nervousness go from her body but she was finding it difficult. That house… That house had so many bad memories. Between her fiasco with EJ and Sami and when Chad moved back into and he faked his brain tumor all of those years ago, nothing good ever came out of that damn house.

The look on Chad's face melted her resolve. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear and with a nod of agreement, they took Thomas inside.

When they opened the door to the mansion, Chad had decorated the foyer with flowers and balloons that said, "Welcome home!" And "It's a Boy!"

Tears welled in Abby's eyes at the sight. She really hadn't been expecting this. Her emotions were overflowing through her and she hugged Thomas just a little tighter. The love beaming from Chad's eyes filled her heart. If she had any doubts about his love for her before, she surely didn't now. "You really didn't have to do this Chad."

"Of course I did. You and Thomas are my family and *we* are a family. That's never going to change. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I love you so much." She declared as she kissed him.

"I love you too." He replied as he kissed her back. Thomas cooed at his parents canoodling and both Abby and Chad took that as a sign that things were going to be okay. The worst was behind them and a fresh start lay ahead. Chad knew that this moment was the beginning of forever for them and as he gazed upon Abby and his son, all of the years of loss and heartbreak were worth it to get him there; in that moment with them. He finally knew what his happiness truly looked like: The three of them. Together. Forever.


End file.
